Trust & Hate
by chiheerios
Summary: Summary inside! Please R&R! There's a poll at the bottom of the first chapter so answer in a review please!  Couples-Taang, Sukka, Zutara, some OC stuff. Please read, enjoy, and RR  Disclaimer-I DON'T OWN ATLA!
1. Common Love

**YAYZ! AN AVATAR STORY I MIGHT (PROBS NOT BUT…) FINISH! *applause***

**Summary-Toph (and maybe Katara) is (are) captured right after the war by a band of Firebenders (who are mad Ozai lost the war YES THEY HELD A GRUDGE AND ANGER THAT LONG!). **

**Okay, they're supposed to be older, so Toph is engaged to some Water Tribe dude from the Northern Water Tribe (an OC) and he was gonna tell Toph he loved her. Now, in order for Toph (and Katara) to return safely the avatar will have to band together with the water tribe boy, Sokka, Suki, and 2 unlikely allies.**

**Ages**

**Aang-16**

**Toph-16**

**Katara-18**

**Sokka-19**

**Zuko-19**

**Suki-17**

**Shan Li-16**

**Hell of a long summary…yes…but R&R por favor!**

**Chapter 1**

"Oh my gosh!" Katara opened the yellow envelope that lay on the table, with the seal of the Bei Fong family, the wild boar, sealing the letter shut. "A letter from Toph!"

The gaang (minus Toph) was in Ba Sing Se for further peace talks with some Fire Nation provinces who were still upset with the conditions over the war.

Sokka ran over to Katara, tugging Suki along. "Really? Really?"

Katara rolled her eyes. "Yes Sokka…REALLY!"

Aang had been on the balcony practicing his bending. He couldn't contain his joy. "Flameo! Open it!"

Katara smiled and gently picked the seal off the message. She pulled out a piece of paper. She glanced over it and smiled.

"Dear Sugar Queen, Snoozles, Twinkle Toes, and Sparky (if you're there)," Katara began reading the letter.

"Hi! How are you? Wish I could be there but here I am, stuck in Gaoling. Anyhow, I have BIG, MASSIVE, news for you guys! I'm betrothed! He's a really nice guy (I've met him) and he's from the Northern Water Tribe (thought you'd want to know Sugar Queen & Snoozles). His name's Shan Li (he thinks I'm taking his last name _Li _but Toph _Li? _He's taking my last name! Shan Bei Fong, that's better!) I had the painter make a picture of us to send to you! It's attached to this message. Oh, come visit Gaoling or I'll die! I need someone who's not a Waterbender to spar with (Hint hint Twinkle Toes). Hurry up and visit.

Sincerely,

Toph

The gaang stood, mouth's agape.

"She's…betrothed." Aang said dryly. "Betrothed."

"Isn't it great?" Sokka exclaimed. "Now we have a new Gaang member!"

Katara was the only one who new how Aang felt about Toph.

"Oh, Sokka, we ran out of meat!" She blurted aloud. "Here's 2 silver pieces. Can you go buy us some more?" Katara absently dropped 2 coins into his hand and turned to Aang, dismissively waving her hand at Sokka to leave.

Suki understood the message and grabbed Sokka's arm and towed him outside.

"Aang," Katara prodded gently. "It's okay…"

Aang looked as if he was going to punch a wall. "No, it's NOT okay." he cried. "How can I tell her I love her now? She's getting married."

Katara looked at her feet. "Aang…you can still tell her how you feel. She might understand…"

"She might get mad…"

"I don't think so Aang." Katara smiled gently at Aang. She laughed softly. "If anything, she might be excited two guys have a thing for her."

Aang looked at his feet. "Maybe…"

Katara smiled again. "I'm going to start packing our stuff."

"M'kay. I'll just…practice…"

Aang, still wallowing in a feeling of reject walked to the patio. He looked out at Ba Sing Se and began to think.

"I could marry any girl in the world if I want," Aang though, "despite what they want. But I wanted the girl I marry to love me back and once have and still is part of our gaang."

"You _could _marry Katara." a voice sweet as honey yet full of treachery whispered into his ear. "She fits all the requirements."

"Yes, but, 2 things, she loves Aang as a friend and has romantic eyes for Zuko." another voice countered.

Aang began to get dizzy as the two voices bickered back and forth.

"Marry Katara!"

"No!"

He got up and stumbled inside. Katara had sleeping bags and food and clothes laid out before her.

"Finished packing!" she smiled cheerfully. "Can you help me load Appa?"

Aang gave her a half-hearted smile. "Okay…"

He grabbed two sleeping bags and used his bison whistle to call Appa. The bison landed outside the open window and he threw the sleeping bags onto Appa. He grabbed 3 more and tossed them onto Appa too.

Katara packed the food into small containers and placed them on Appa. Sokka and Suki barreled through the door.

"Get on Appa! We're going to Gaoling!"

Toph sighed as she sunk back into a couch. She was tired. All the attendants wanted to do was plan the wedding.

A tailor, mouth full of pins and arms full of cloth and tape measure, bustled up to Toph.

"Miss Bei Fong, your mother requests I do your fitting now." the tailor's voice was dry, like chalk dust.

"No." Toph moaned. "I'm tired."

"Miss Bei Fong," the tailor pressed, "you must-"

"Let me do as I please!" Toph interjected. It's my house!"

She got up and swept away to her room, not before the tailor could wrap his tape measure around her waist. He took the measurement and jotted it down in a small sketch pad.

Toph slipped under the tape measure and waltzed away to her room. Waltz. She was supposed to learn that to dance at her wedding, but she preferred to think of waltzing not as a dance, but as a graceful way of moving.

She flopped down on her bed and sighed. Her mind began to wander, from Shan, with his brown hair and opulent blue eyes, as she heard people say he looked, to her friends. Had they received the letter that she had her servant Ai Lin write down. She wanted them to come so badly…

Toph figured she must have dozed off because when she got up, Ai Lin ran through the door.

"Shan is here!" she said, breathlessly.

Toph's ears perked up. "Shan?"

Ai Lin nodded. She grabbed a comb and ran it through Toph's mess of hair. When it was good enough, Ai Lin tied it back with a blue ribbon. She shoved Toph out the door and down the hall.

Shan was conversing with her parents. "Yes, I intend to live in the Earth Kingdom, " she heard him say, "So she'll still be able to see."

Toph's parents smile. "Are you going to be living up north by the water tribe?"

"Well…" Shan was twiddling his thumbs "Yes, since I am part of the chief's advisory council."

Lao nodded and looked into his tea cup, as if trying to read the tea leaves. "Ah, well, you seem like a nice young man and one who cares for my daughter, so…"

Toph burst into the room. "Give him your blessing!" she cried. "Now!"

Shan looked into his betrothed's blind eyes shimmering with excitement.

Lao looked at her like she was a platypus bear dressed up for a party.

Her mother just smiled.

Lao looked at Shan and mumbled the blessing under his breath. He (Shan) smiled jovially and grabbed Toph by the arm.

"Come with me," he whispered.

She followed him to the garden.

"What? Do you want to spar?"

"No, I made this for you. Just as a symbol you're engaged. You're off the market now."

Toph didn't understand the expression very well. "Okay, hand it over." She extended a palm toward Shan. Instead she felt him step behind her and place something smooth and cold around her neck.

"It's a betrothal necklace. People in the Water Tribes give them to their betrothed."

"I know that." Toph sputtered in an annoyed manner, "Sugar Queen wears her mother's all the time. Her mother was killed in a Fire Nation raid and it's the only thing she has left of her."

She sighed and touched the necklace. "Seal skin?"

Shan smiled. She swore she could literally feel happiness radiating off his skin. "Nope, it's gold and emeralds."

"Gold?"

"Uh huh."

"From where?"

"The mines?"

She laughed. "I can't see it and I already love it!"

Shan rubbed the back of his neck, the same thing Aang used to do when he got nervous. Speaking of Twinkle Toes….where was he?

A boy was sitting in the woods, just behind the Bei Fong estate, waiting for the right time to strike.

He was quiet as a moth mouse and had agility that could match a puma bear. He was quick, precise, and deadly.

But he had direct orders not to kill the Bei Fong girl. Just to capture her. He looked toward the wooden cage.

He was a mercenary. He only worked for hire. The man had paid a hefty price for this and if the mission failed…he didn't want to think about that. He knew he'd have to wait for the perfect time to strike.

A loud groan was heard. The boy looked up, through a clearing in the trees and saw the avatar's bison. He smiled a sickening smile and pulled out a dagger.

_Not to kill, but to wound_

**A/N: Ah ha! Mysterious guy in the woods! What will happen next? Something!**

**Note-Sorry for making Toph OOC, but I was trying to prove she likes Shan (but also has some harbored feelings for Aang…teehee) I'll try and get the next chapter up soon!**

**I want to know-Should Katara also get captured? If so, by who?**

**Sorry 'bout the fast pace =/**

**R&R**


	2. Capture

**A/N: Chapter 2...enjoy!**

**Disclaimer-Why, I don't own ATLA! So don't ask me…**

**PS. Okay, I was reading **_**Whispers in A Dream **_**by **_**Foxface1396**_** and I noticed that Toph was engaged to an OC and the guy's name was Wei so I'm just going to clarify a few things.**

**1. I read the story AFTER I posted this one so I didn't know about that.**

**2. Toph is still engaged to Shan, but his last name is being changed to Li (Shan Li…that's better). Just clarifying that. I'm reposting the first chapter. (So that's why his name is changed)**

**Okay….now onward!**

**Chapter 2~Capture **

The bison landed gracefully outside the wall's of the Bei Fong estate. The air had a humid, tropical air around it. Summer had surely rolled in with the drumbeat of thunder.

Aang, Katara, Sokka, and Suki walked up to the front gate. They were expected guests, so the great gates swung open.

Aang spotted Toph standing near the back of the garden. She couldn't sense his vibrations however, because as soon as he entered, a young man picked her up and swung her in a circle. When he set he down, her ears perked up.

"Twinkle Toes! Katara! Snoozles! Um…." she thought a minute. "Suki!"

The gaang rushed forward to hug Toph.

"Where's Sparky?"

"He's coming soon." Katara prompted in a matter-of-factly manner. "He had to stay in Ba Sing Se for further peace talks. We told him right before we came here." She shook her head in disdain. "King Cheng (the new Earth King) is so hard to please. Zuko has had to write and rewrite peace treaties over a 1,000 times." She let out a light chuckle. "Anyhow, he'll be here tomorrow."

"Ah ha…" Toph shifted uncomfortably. "Oh, guys! This is my fiancée, Shan Li!" She shoved him forward.

Katara, Sokka, and Suki seemed to like him right off the bat.

"Shan! We're from the Water Tribe too! The Southern One!" Sokka exclaimed.

"Cool!" Shan smiled. "Is she your sister?" He motioned toward Katara.

"Yeah, I'm Sokka's sister Katara." Katara said.

"I have a sister. Her name is Lian (Lee-On) but she was taken when the Fire Nation attacked the Water Tribe."

"We were there! We were there!" Sokka jumped up and down like a little kid.

"No kidding?"

"Haha nope!"

Toph grabbed Shan's arm. "Isn't he great?" She stopped. "Aang, say hello." She pushed Shan forcefully toward Aang.

"The Avatar? It's an honor to meet you Aang."

"You too." Aang replied unemotionally.

Toph was unsatisfied. She looked as if someone had just stabbed her with a needle.

"Um…I'm going inside." Her face screwed up. Shan and Aang began to follow. "Uh…no. Shan, I want you and Aang to get better acquainted. OR ELSE!" she threw a rock at each of their heads. "Bye!"

The others trailed after her.

Shan kicked a pebble. His face was directed toward the ground. His blue eyes looked up to see Aang's grey ones. "Uh…better acquainted…I'll start first."

Shan extended a hand. Aang took it like it was a piece of rotting meat. "I'm Shan Li. I'm from the Northern Water Tribe. My birthday's Winter 14 (**A/N: Their calendar is based on the seasons) **I have a sister named Lian, and I'm part of the chief's advisory council."

Aang snorted. "I'm Aang. I'm The last air bender and I'm the Avatar. That's all. Oh I was born Fall 16th."

Shan smiled. "When were your friend's birthday's?"

"Katara's is Winter 6th, Sokka's is Winter 29th , Zuko's is Summer 12th and _Toph's _is Spring 24th."

"Nice…"

"Yeah."

Shan looked at the sundial. "Well, I'm going to head inside."

"Wait!" Aang cried

Shan turned around.

"What?"

"Never mind."

"Okay, just tell me when you remember.*"

Shan walked toward the house and went inside.

Aang followed suit.

Little did they know, no one would respond to their call (yet).

"Hello?" Shan opened the door to the Bei Fong's dining hall. Goblets of wine stood in glasses.

Aang appeared from behind Shan. "Where is everyone?"

The two opened cabinets and doors. They went into the master bedroom. Missus Bei Fong was peering out from the closet.

"Shan! Aang!" she whispered in a hurried manner. Shan went over to his future mother in law.

"What happened? Where is everyone?"

"Uh…The note!" she hastily took a note out of her pocket.

_I had to do it. She was needed._

_The Waterbender girl? She's here too._

_Signed_

_Nobodies_

**A/N: YES THE CHAPTER WAS LAME! I'M SORRY OKAY! CHAPTER 3 UP SOON =) **


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